Summer Showcase Winners, Xbox's $400M Question & the Remakes That Broke the Internet
Summer showcase season is officially in the books — and Greg, Ty, and Uly have receipts.
This week, the crew digs into the data behind all the hype: which games actually won Summer Game Fest according to Steam wishlist numbers and search trends, and why the top three spots all went to remakes and sequels. Code Veronica taking the #1 wishlist spot gets the full breakdown — Ty explains why the game's weird place in Resident Evil canon is exactly the reason people are losing their minds over it, and the crew goes deep on how RE4 and Code Veronica's release timeline essentially screwed Capcom's own franchise order. Ocarina of Time, Persona 6, Insomniac's Wolverine, Gears of War: E-Day, Kingdom Hearts, and Spyro all get their moment.
Then things get real when Greg drops the number: Gears of War: E-Day reportedly cost $400 million to make. The crew breaks down why that figure is almost impossible to recoup — comparing it to Spider-Man 2's $300M budget, which needed 7.2 million copies at full price to break even, against Gears of War II's total lifetime sales of 6.75 million copies ever. Factor in that the game launches Day 1 on Game Pass, Xbox's recent price drop, and that Microsoft is quietly aging out its console ambitions — and this gets uncomfortable fast.
Also: a full Resident Evil 6 rehabilitation arc, the correct story order to play RE6 (yes, there is one), a debate on whether RE5 deserves a remake, and the moment Greg admits he's never actually played Until Dawn, Detroit: Become Human, or Heavy Rain — despite knowing every detail about all three. Ty does not take this well.
Plus — the 8th anniversary of GZ Chop Shop is coming. July 18th. G Fuel is involved. More details dropping in the newsletter soon.
Key Topics:
- Breakdown of Summer Game Fest’s top winners and surprises, including Stellar Blade, Gears of War, and Dawn 2.
- The cultural significance of franchises like Gears of War and Kingdom Hearts.
- The impact of search trends and search result data on game popularity.
- Industry analysis: budget estimates, sales figures, and the feasibility of blockbuster hits like Xbox’s $400 million exclusive.
- The debate over remakes: Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and the longevity of classic titles.
- The complex timeline of Resident Evil remakes and their impact on franchise storytelling.
- Technical and strategic industry insights, including counterfeit perceptions and hardware shortages.
- The role of game subscriptions like Game Pass in the financial landscape.
- Final thoughts on upcoming releases, the state of the industry, and the importance of community engagement.
Subscribe to the GZ Press Play Gaming Newsletter for the full written breakdown every Thursday: gz-press-play-gaming-newsletter.beehiiv.com
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